Will Goodman expansion be a construction nightmare?

In the past few weeks you might have noticed the massive construction site that’s started to take up a large portion of Brock’s bus terminal in the centre of campus. If you’re anything like me and actually enjoy walking on the sidewalk without fear of being pushed into an oncoming bus, you might see where I’m going with this.

The plans for the new $22 million expansion to the Goodman School of Business expects that all construction should be completed in two years time (by September 2018). However, two years is a long time, and with the location of the new building, it’s sure to throw some students and faculty off track.

When construction started the only thing blocking the public from the area was flimsy orange fencing wrapping around some trees and connecting to Taro Hall. Since then, they’ve finally beefed up their defence with some metal bars. Still, there isn’t much that blocks the area from access and it does have the potential to be dangerous. Regardless of there being any separation, the area is still quite open and exposed — as you can see with the pylons and caution tape.

Come peak time for classes, when the buses really start pouring in and the entrance is flooded with students coming and going, the amount of foot traffic that fills the bus stops located in front of the construction site is brutal. In turn, it basically turns the area into a hazard zone. Pushing and shoving, trying not to walk on the road just to get to a class without putting your life on the line makes the construction area a game.

I don’t even think I can count the amount of times I’ve had to dodge a bus or a hoard of people to get to the front entrance from Union Station and vice versa. It’s a heavily populated area and probably not the ideal spot for any blockage.

From what it looks like, the building is going to take up a large portion of the path that leads between the main campus strip and the bus loop, which is a heavy traffic area throughout the day. In the winter, it probably will die down a fair bit — with people trying to avoid walking outside in general – but I feel like it’s still going to be a cause for problems.

It’s going to be a very long two years of construction and it seems as though it’s already off to a slow start, seeing as though the removal of some trees is the extent of what I’ve seen happening. Which is also another kind of drawback. That whole central area of campus is going to start to look quite industrialized and full of more buildings, instead of the open green space that leads down the middle of campus. It will still be green and bright, but just a little more grey, too.

Without a doubt the Goodman expansion is going to be great for Brock, but we do have a long road ahead of us when it comes to dealing with the troubles that may come.